


A Much Sterner Examination

by jolly_utter



Category: Hornblower (TV), Hornblower - C. S. Forester
Genre: Age Difference, Established Relationship, First Time Blow Jobs, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:42:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolly_utter/pseuds/jolly_utter
Summary: Set at the end of Fire Ships/Examination for Lieutenant.The moment the cabin door shut, Pellew, with a glance at the illuminated stern windows and the full harbour beyond, beckoned Hornblower towards the small after cabin with a tilt of his head. Once safely inside, he drew Hornblower tight into his arms, with a fierceness that Hornblower could not account for.“My dear boy,” Pellew murmured against his hair, “my dear brave reckless boy. Thank God you’re safe.”
Relationships: Horatio Hornblower/Edward Pellew
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	A Much Sterner Examination

Horatio Hornblower did not know whether to expect a dressing-down as he ducked into Captain Pellew’s cabin in answer to an immediate summons, still damp and smoke-stained after his return to the ship. In the heat of the moment he had acted as seemed best, but as time passed and the adrenaline wore off, he was already critically reviewing his actions. He had as good as shouted orders at two very senior captains, had endangered the life of one of them, and he could not yet bring himself to relive the debacle of his lieutenant’s examination too closely. Strangely, he had felt much calmer jumping onto a burning ship than facing three pairs of epaulettes and a simple question. Well, perhaps not a simple question; it had certainly seemed abstruse enough at the time, though no doubt the solution would be clear upon further reflection, when he was capable of recalling it without the attendant haze of panic.

His captain’s expression was entirely unreadable, which did not help Hornblower’s mounting anxiety. It was stern as usual, but there was something inscrutable about the eyes. Later in life Hornblower might look in the mirror and recognise the expression as that of self-control battening down strong emotion, but at twenty he was merely perplexed and apprehensive. The moment the door shut, Pellew, with a glance at the illuminated stern windows and the full harbour beyond, beckoned Hornblower towards the small after cabin with a tilt of his head. Once safely inside, he drew Hornblower tight into his arms, with a fierceness that Hornblower could not account for.

“My dear boy,” Pellew murmured against his hair, “my dear brave reckless boy. Thank God you’re safe.”

Hornblower’s head whirled as he struggled to respond, but then Pellew was pulling back and kissing him hard, and that at least was familiar now, though still wildly exciting. A little whimper of relief and want escaped his throat, to be caught with a possessive growl in Pellew’s mouth. Ever since his captain had introduced him to these pleasures, months before, it had been difficult to entirely focus on anything else; even during his frantic studying he had caught himself distracted by vivid sense memories of the shocking delight of Pellew’s lips on his, the feel of strong hands caressing him and most of all, the incredible, shameful, enjoyment of being bent over a table or cot and thoroughly used. The pleasure of Pellew’s cock inside him, his weight on his back and whispered praise in his ear had only been equalled, thus far in his young life, by that of standing on his own quarterdeck.

By the time they drew back for breath, Pellew had backed Hornblower up against the bulkhead, and had a knee between his legs. His gaze raked over Hornblower ruthlessly, and the acting lieutenant, as always, was torn between embarrassment, obedience, and a perverse urge to flaunt himself, to see how far he could provoke and draw out Pellew’s desire for him. He could feel himself growing ever bolder with time and encouragement.

“Sir,” he said in a low voice, reaching for the buttons of Pellew’s waistcoat- the captain was already in his shirtsleeves. Hornblower cursed the trembling of his hands: whether it was a reaction to the previous excitement of the evening, or anticipation of what was to come, he could not say.

“Don’t play the innocent with me, sir.” Pellew’s voice was likewise pitched quietly, but it reverberated in his chest in a way that made Hornblower’s knees weak. Still, he rallied, and came back fighting. He let his tongue brush his lower lip and dropped his gaze to look up at Pellew through his lashes, as he had seen girls do ashore. Pellew made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan and attacked Hornblower’s throat, pulling at the neckcloth which had been so carefully pressed mere hours earlier.

“Too clever by half,” and “going to be the death of me,” seemed to be the words that escaped between open-mouthed kisses. 

Hornblower’s sense of victory proved short-lived, however, as Pellew mastered himself and drew back to regard him with an appraising eyebrow.

“I had thought to save this particular pleasure until you passed for Lieutenant,” he said, watching Hornblower’s reaction, “but I think, given the circumstances…”

Hornblower’s thoughts were moving almost too quickly for him to keep up. Captain Pellew thought about and planned for his pleasure. That was something to consider in the solitude of his bunk. The circumstances… He wasn’t going to pass his examination. He almost certainly had failed. He would have to wait another six months at least. Six months was such a horribly long time, with others getting promoted above him… Most importantly at this moment, what did the Captain have in mind for him? What other pleasures could there be?

Then conscious thought vanished entirely as he watched Pellew get to his knees before him. He had an inkling of what might occur but it seemed impossible that such a lofty officer would submit to that indignity. But Pellew pressed a palm to Hornblower’s cockstand through his breeches and Hornblower’s hips buckled forward in spite of himself. Pellew’s hands were on his buttons, then, and Hornblower, at a loss for what else to do with his hands, helped gather the billows of shirt aside and pressed them close to his belly so he could see. His jacket was still on. He felt helplessly exposed with his breeches down and his prick in his captain’s face, but Pellew was smiling, a gleam in his eye as he glanced up, then he wrapped his lips around the swollen head of Hornblower’s cock.

Hornblower’s head audibly hit the wood behind him, and he felt Pellew’s chuckle as much as heard it. He risked a look down to see Pellew smirking as he sucked him deeper, and then every remaining scrap of Hornblower’s self-control was occupied in remaining upright and relatively still and quiet. The warm, wet section was better than any hand, and Pellew’s mouth had settled into a steady rhythm, punctuated by pauses to lick and tease that had Hornblower nearly in tears.

“Please, sir, yes, oh, sir…” he scarcely marked the words falling from his lips. Then, with more urgency, “oh God sir, I’m—”

Before he could stop himself he was spilling into his Captain’s mouth, trembling, his eyes screwed shut and unable to look. He felt Pellew release him, an unexpected soft kiss on the crease of his hip, and then Pellew was standing with a slight groan and popping of knees and pulling Hornblower into his arms.  
A large hand stroking his hair and the familiar sardonic voice in his ear helped bring Hornblower back to himself.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it, lad?”

Hornblower pulled back enough to give Pellew a wide sloppy smile, and was rewarded with a kiss, the strange tang on Pellew’s tongue making him blush. 

“Fancy giving this lark a try yourself, hmm?”

“Oh, yes please!”

Pellew’s mouth was pressed in a thin line, but his eyes were hopelessly warm as he turned Hornblower so that their positions were reversed. 

“Plot a course, then, Mr. Hornblower.”

Hornblower ducked his head in an effort to hide his pleased grin- he loved to undertake any challenge which his captain set for him. He thought through everything Pellew had done to him, and set about replicating the actions scientifically. Lips to the side of the neck and fingers unbuttoning waistcoat resulted in a tilt of the head and a pleased hum. Caressing his broad chest through the fine linen shirt, then lower to tease along Pellew’s cock, got him a sharp intake of breath and parted lips. Hornblower lowered himself slowly to the deck and looked up into Pellew’s face as he unbuttoned his breeches. 

“Beautiful boy,” Pellew murmured. “No teeth, now, remember.”

Hornblower nodded seriously, then set about pleasuring his captain as thoroughly as he knew how. He started with his hands--that was easy--stroking the foreskin back and caressing the thick length of him. He licked his lips, again, unconsciously this time, and felt Pellew’s gaze burning into the top of his head as he took him into his mouth. It was wonderful. Smooth skin against his lips--no teeth, he reminded himself--and he wanted to take it all in. The head hit the back of his throat and he gagged, pulling back, but only enough to be comfortable again. Pellew’s hand caught his up, and guided it back to the base of his cock. Hornblower glanced up, and Pellew smiled approvingly.

“Use your hand and your mouth together. You’re doing very well, I promise you.”

Hornblower soon found a combination of motions that had Pellew’s hips twitching with the effort to restrain their thrusting, and he tried to replicate the ways that Pellew had teased him: long slow licks, caressing just the head with his lips, gently playing with his ballocks, and he became so wrapped up in exploring the variety of sensations he could produce that he was a little startled by the impatient growl from above.

“Damn your eyes, Horatio, get on with it, unless you want to drive your captain to distraction!”

Hornblower noticed that Pellew’s hand was clenched in a fist, his breath ragged, his eyes fiery. He supposed he should count his manoeuvres as successful. He allowed himself a small smirk before diving back into the rhythm that had been so effective before, speeding up as Pellew’s hand came to gently tangle in his curls. His jaw was aching a little but he kept on until Pellew gasped his name in warning and then his throat was hit by warm salty liquid which he quickly swallowed down, sucking until Pellew disentangled him, groaning. It was a most gratifying feeling.

Hornblower sat back on his heels and grinned up at Pellew, who helped him to his feet. 

“Of course you’re a damned fast learner, I shouldn’t be surprised. A few more weeks and you’ll be fit to suck off Lord Nelson himself.”

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate your expert demonstration.”

“Don’t think I appreciate your damned cheek, boy.” Pellew glowered for as long as he could, before drawing Hornblower into a last deep kiss. “Right, get yourself tidied up. I’ll pour us some sherry.”

Pellew briskly re-ordered his clothing and Hornblower followed suit, a little disappointed as he felt he could have continued in short order. Once back in the great cabin, however, Captain Pellew’s glowing words were more than adequate to reconcile him.

“In all my years at sea, I have witnessed many an act of courage, but that, sir, must rank among the most memorable. My men owe you their lives, and I owe you my ship. These events will be noted in your records.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hornblower took a sip of the strong, sweet drink, grateful for the liquid on his raw throat. “Might I enquire about my examination, sir?”

“That particular examination board may never re-assemble, I fancy,” Pellew said. He thought a moment, then resumed, shaking his head, “Now look here, Hornblower, from what Harvey told me you were flat aback, about to lose your spars, with the Dover cliffs under your lee. One more minute and you would have been failed. Hm? It was the warning gun that saved you, was it not?”

“Yes, sir,” Hornblower admitted.

“Well, you may comfort yourself with the fact that you’ve excelled in one oral examination tonight, at least.”

Hornblower blushed scarlet, and Pellew turned away with a twinkle in his eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! More age of sail nonsense to be found on my tumblr [anadequatesir](https://anadequatesir.tumblr.com/)


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